UK-based Permali Gloucester Limited has recently been awarded a £15 million contract to supply composite armor materials for the British Army’s AJAX tank vehicle.
The materials will form part of the ballistic protection measures used in the vehicles. The AJAX vehicles are being delivered to the British Army by General Dynamics Land Systems UK.
The UK has ordered 589 AJAX medium armoured fighting and reconnaissance vehicles, which were formerly known as SCOUT specialist vehicles. Permali will supply composite materials that form a key element of the armor protection.
As part of Permali's commitment to winning this contract, the company undertook a substantial R&D programme, and also invested £300,000 in new machinery to make the newly developed materials. A further investment of more than £1 million in equipment has begun to convert the factory processes to a more energy efficient heating system, which will also increase capacity to supply this contract.
The Ajax vehicle is at the heart of the UK’s new strike brigades, giving our Armed Forces the ability to respond rapidly and effectively across a huge variety of terrains,’ said director of land equipment and the UK’s defence equipment and support organisation, Major General Robert Talbot Rice. ‘The signing of this contract means that Permali will have a key role in supplying world class protection for the British Army’s fleet of next-generation fighting vehicles.’
This story is reprinted from material from Permali, with editorial changes made by Materials Today. The views expressed in this article do not necessarily represent those of Elsevier.
